


Prince Kyungsoo and the Adventure He Never Asked For

by silhanaa



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Aro!Baekhyun, Aromantic Character, As an aro/ace I want representation so shhhhh, Asexual Character, Comedy, Friendship, I swear I'm working on it lolol, Kyungsoo just wants to go home, M/M, Other, ace!kyungsoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:53:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26092171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silhanaa/pseuds/silhanaa
Summary: Prompt M064: A young mage that is always setting things on fire (not on purpose), a noisy fairy, a tired prince, and the clumsiest thief ever are the only hope for the kingdom.All Prince Kyungsoo wants is a life of peace and quiet. So how the hell did he end up in the desert with the clumsiest thief ever, a loudmouth fairy, and an accidental pyromage in order to save the world?
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun & Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 21
Collections: EXOventure Round 1 2020





	1. Prince Kyungsoo Wishes For Quiet

**Author's Note:**

> And so the adventure begins! Shoutout to @iteunmul for making me do this lolol

“Watch out!” 

The young, armor-clad woman drops to her knees. An arrow flies where her head was, landing squarely in the forehead of the enemy she was fighting. 

Their place was quickly filled in.

“I had that!” she yells at the fairy hovering above her, swinging her sword at the next enemy that arose from the dirt. 

“Focus on the goal, your Majesty.” A silver-haired elf throws their spear, stabbing a corpse that was about to behead her.

“You don’t need to tell me that twice,” The human queen responds snarkily to the elf. A swarm of strangely mismatched body parts scramble towards their beating hearts, hoping to claim them as their own. 

“Not today!” Though she yells with ferocity, she can feel her energy dwindling. 

How long would this continue? How many would lose their lives? 

She couldn’t afford to pay attention to that now. 

The neverending swarm of enemies continued to surround them. 

She slices the head off one. Ten more take its place. “We need to get that damn crown!”

“You don’t say!” The fairy hovering above her head responds snarkily. Pulling a few arrows, he fires consecutive shots into the bodies in front of her.

“We’re progressing too slowly. Where is the mage? Betrayed us?” The elf asks haughtily.

“Just preparing!” A long blast of fire burns the enemies around them to a crisp, continuing forward and carving a pathway. “Go.” A mage pants, using all their effort to maintain the spell. “I’ll keep this up for as long as possible. Which probably isn't long for an old man like me” he chuckles. "Namu, go child." 

The Queen nods at the mage before taking off in a sprint. “Watch my back!” 

She doesn’t need to look to know that the four, alongside their respective armies, would be protecting her. 

A blur of corpses. The deep crimson of blood. Flashes of steel. Him. Standing ahead, back to her.”

She jumps up, swinging her sword down. 

He whirls around, catching the blade with his hand. The metal of his fingers curve around it. 

Grunting, the Queen pulls the sword back. 

“Are you going to kill me, my dear?” 

She doesn’t respond. Instead, swinging her sword again. 

Once again he grabs it with his sword arm, leaving himself open. The elf runs at the opening. With a roar, the man grabs his sword with his weaker hand, swinging it at the elf with power no-one expected. The blow slices across the elf’s shoulder, leaving a deep gash down to his chest. 

Before he could deliver the killing blow, an arrow flies from above, striking him through the heart. As he stumbles, she snatches the crown from his head, snapping the hastily forged metal across her knee. The four stones in it fall to the ground. 

“Pathetic,” she spits, turning away from him as his spirit leaves the world.

Simultaneously, all the corpses crumble, falling apart like their master.

“It’s over,” the Grand Mage smiles. 

“Yes,” the Elf nods wearily, accepting the aid of another elf who had rushed to their side. “And it should never happen again.”

“We proceed, as discussed,” the Queen speaks up. “Four stones. Four races. With it our treaty is remembered and maintained. We shall take the stone of Earth. To rebuild our kingdom now that it has been destroyed.” 

“We shall take the stone of air,” the Fairy King gently picks up the clear gem from her hands. “So that we may ride the winds with ease.”

“We shall take responsibility for the stone of water,” The Elf accepts the sky-blue stone. “To put out the fires of this war in our lands.”

“And we shall take the stone of fire,” the Grand Mage adds on, reaching out a hand for the fiery red gem. “To fuel our own magic and research.”

“We’ll hold each other to peace with these stones. Never to fight each other. Always on guard to prevent this from happening again. Do not lose it.”

The four turn, locking eyes with someone who didn’t exist in their time. Their eyes blaze with fury. “Right, Do Kyungsoo?”

\--------------

Prince Kyungsoo bolts awake, a strange emptiness in his chest. Something’s wrong. Darting out of bed, he flings his shirt off, watching in horror as the insignia engraved over his heart fades. 

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no._

“Your Highness…” Without knocking, a young man rushes into the room. Any other day that would be considered a grave offence. Today though, was different. “There’s been a-”

“I know, Jongin.” Kyungsoo’s fingers trail over the strangely blank spot on his chest. Sighing, he pulls his shirt back on. “Let’s go.” There’s no use in worrying now.

His aide nods, and the pair began the winding trek into the depths of the castle. 

The farther down they went, the colder and damper it became. Dark stone hallways, lit only by the dim torchlight carried by Jongin. Faded markings in the stone are the only trace of the numerous spells that had been heaped upon this area. 

Their goal? A vault, embedded so far below the castle that even those who knew of its existence would struggle to find it. On the door remained a single placard.

_“We hold each other accountable. Always remember.”_

There are countless myths and legends about what was so precious that their founding Queen had to engrave that sign as a warning. Contrary to the old tales, the vault does not house heaps of gold. There are no piles of rubies and precious stones. There are no ancient relics, no strange contraptions that are ahead of its time. 

All that stands is a single, simple wooden drawer containing a single, simple box with a single complicated lock mechanism bound to take even the smartest mage aback. 

Having been untouched for so long, a layer of dust, around an inch or two thick, covers every exposed surface. Or at least, it used to. Now, the drawer is overturned. Broken pieces of the empty box are scattered around the floor. The distrubed dust provides no clue as to who had snuck in and taken the one thing the kingdom would die to protect. 

Kyungsoo rubs his temples. “What a pain…” Judging by the numerous footprints, there were multiple thieves. There’s no way one person could break in the vault, crack the box, and escape without notice. There must have been an inside man as well. They would have to be found and severely punished. The guards on duty would be punished as well. Then comes the tedious task of tracking down the thieves and bringing them to justice. Most important of this list, Kyungsoo needed to find what was stolen. Immediately.

The more Kyungsoo thinks about it, the more he feels like he shouldn’t have accepted the responsibility of being in charge of this precious treasure. 

“We caught one of them.”

Kyungsoo sharply turns his head towards Jongin. 

“He was knocked out down the hallway. Not sure why. I told them to wait for you before attempting to wake him up.” 

For the first time that day a smile crosses the prince’s face.

Understanding that as a directive, Jongin turns and leaves the vault, gesturing for the guards that remained to seal it up. Climbing back up, they make a turn this time heading towards the prisons.

Anyone considered a traitor to the crown could be found here, rotting for the rest of their lives. Luckily, there weren’t many of them. One cell however, had recently found a new occupant. 

A scrawny boy with a mask on his face is passed out on the floor, oblivious to the dangerous situation he is in. Crouching down to get a better look through the bars, Kyungsoo quickly appraises him. Dark clothes, specialized shoes built for stealth and utility, an empty tool belt… 

The moment Kyungsoo glances up at him, Jongin answers, “The tools are in the cell next to him. We needed a place to study them and it was convenient. They fit the bill but nothing too specialized. He probably isn’t the main perpetrator.” 

“He still knows something.” Kyungsoo stands up, nodding at a guard standing nearby. “Wake him up.” 

At the prince’s command the guard opens the cell door. They pick up a wooden bucket filled with water and hurl it on the boy. 

“Ah! I’m getting up!” The boy sits up, removing his mask and running a hand through his platinum blonde hair. “Geez man, you don’t need to do that every da-” He freezes mid sentence, looking up at Kyungsoo. He looks at the guard. Back to Kyungsoo. Down to the puddle of water and the cold floor. Back to Kyungsoo. Over to Jongin. Back to Kyungsoo. “This isn’t Byeolgwan, is it.” 

“Nope.” Kyungsoo says with a small smile. The boy had inadvertently let slip some crucial information. Though, now that the boy was awake, Kyungsoo noticed that ‘boy’ was probably the wrong word. Though young he wasn’t that young. Probably closer to his age. 

“Was I kidnapped?”

“No.”

“You won’t get much ransom for me you know.”

“You weren’t kidnapped.” Kyungsoo sighs, “In fact, you’re the criminal here.” 

Silence. 

The young man starts laughing, “In what world am I a criminal?” 

Kyungsoo and Jongin exchange incredulous glances. Taking a deep breath he turns back to the man, “Well then, who are you?” 

“Name’s Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun. I work in the stables for the Byeol household.”

“The stables.” 

Baekhyun nods.

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, “So. Baekhyun. Who works at the stables. Do stableboys usually dress up as a thief, carry the tools of a thief, and wear the mask of a notorious group of criminals?” 

“They’re _notorious?_ I thought they’re just some small level thieves.” 

Kyungsoo blinks. “So you know they’re thieves. Yet... you say you work in the stables.” Did this Baekhyun character not know how to lie or is he just an idiot?

“I mean, I prefer the small time stuff. They do big jobs and I don’t wanna be a part of that.”

“So… you are a thief?” Kyungsoo struggles to keep the stories straight.

“I mean, I don’t like saying that. I prefer the term ‘Liberator’.”

“What.”

“Because I liberate money that is held captive by the rich.” 

“What…”

“They’re not going to miss it anyways. But these guys? Hooo.” Baekhyun shakes his head, “They have lofty goals. I tried to avoid all that.” He waves his hand dismissively. “Couldn’t avoid this one though.” 

Kyungsoo gives up on trying to sort out who this man was. Instead, he jumps on that last sentence, using it as a springboard to hopefully draw information. “You couldn’t avoid this one? So-”

“Yeah, I got dragged. It was quite a pain actually.” 

“I’d imagine bu-”

“I might take care of the horses but I’ve never _ridden_ one before! I kept on falling off - you’d think they’d leave me behind but they were adamant on me sticking with them.” 

“Sounds rough, wh-” 

“I mean, I’m technically _trained_ and I guess they needed everyone on board but-”

“How did you end up here?” Kyungsoo’s barely concealed rage and impatience was reaching a boiling point.

“Shouldn’t you ask whomever brought me to the cell?” Baekhyun asks. 

“Not to the cell!” Kyungsoo yells exasperatedly. A nudge from Jongin brings his rapidly rising temper back down for a second. “How,” Kyungsoo says through clenched teeth, “How did you end up in the castle of Namla and what did you plan on taking?” 

Baekhyun blinks furiously at Kyungsoo, realization finally crossing his face. “Ohhhh. _That’s_ what you want to know.” He scratches his head sheepishly. “I uh. I don’t think I’m supposed to tell you,” he says. 

Kyungsoo stares at the thief in front of him. Was Byun Baekhyun _purposely _annoying him? ‘Cause it’s working.__

__“But, I mean. What the heck. Why not? I didn’t want to do this in the first place anyways. I was told we’re here to steal a gem. Not sure why. After this we were to go to… three or four other places and steal the gems there?” Baekhyun’s brows furrow as he recalls the memory._ _

__“Wait. What?” Kyungsoo seems taken aback by how forthcoming he was with the information. He had been mentally making plans to torture the man for answers - he’d take great pleasure in paying Baekhyun back for the toruture talking to him had been. Yet, this thief is just… telling him everything, stealing that small pleasure away from Kyungsoo._ _

__“I think it was three other places.” Baekhyun continues talking, oblivious. “I don’t know why we couldn’t just like, steal a ton of gems and gold or something. I doubt these gems could be _that_ valuable.”_ _

__“Do me a favour, shut up.”_ _

__Noticing Kyungsoo’s foul mood, Baekhyun mimes locking his lips and throwing away the key._ _

__Kyungsoo closes his eyes, taking a moment to think through the sudden onslaught of information. _‘If they were going to visit the other three places, they must be targeting all 4 gems. But… ‘__ _

__“What were you planning on doing with them?”_ _

__“The gems were to be taken to this place in the desert or something,” Baekhyun responds. “Uh.. Ju- Ju-gam?.?”_ _

__A cold sweat runs down Kyungsoo’s back. “Juga’ak?”_ _

__Baekhyun lights up, “Yeah! That’s the place!” He grins, bouncing up and down like a puppy expecting a prize. The grin disappears once he notices the shadow on Kyungsoo’s face. “Is something wrong?”_ _

__“Nope,” Kyungsoo responds with a smile. He had no need to tell Baekhyun that Juga’ak was the last place in the world the stones should go. Mainly because he suspected the thief would instantly start asking why they can’t be there and honestly, Kyungsoo didn’t know. All he knew was that they shouldn’t. If these thieves really wanted to take all the stones and gather them in the one place they shouldn’t be? No good would come of it._ _

__“Jongin, get him cleaned up and ready to meet my parents in ten minutes.”_ _

__“Meet your parents? I know I’m handsome and all but this is a bit too rash, isn’t it?”_ _

__Kyungsoo glares at Baekhyun, walking away without a word._ _

__Though it was late, both of Kyungsoo’s parents were awake. Trusting their son to handle the situation, they waited in a drawing room for his update._ _

__“Father, Mother.” Kyungsoo greets the two before taking a seat with them. “Would it kill you to get a bit more involved now and then?” As he speaks he gestures for a servant to add another seat._ _

__“What happened?” Kyungsoo’s father asks, ignoring Kyungsoo’s jab. King and Queen Do prefered to take a more hands-off approach in raising Kyungsoo, allowing him to learn from the mistakes he made. Unfortunately, being the future ruler of a country, Kyungsoo’s mistakes could put the kingdom in danger, putting significantly more pressure on the young prince._ _

__“Well, let’s wait for our guest first.”_ _

__As if waiting for his cue, Baekhyun flings the doors open with Jongin following close behind with a scowl._ _

__“Nice place you’ve got Mister,” he says with a grin. “I’d almost think you’re royalty!”_ _

__“We are.”_ _

__Baekhyun starts laughing, but noting the serious looks on everyone’s faces he freezes. “Are you serious?” It had taken a while but the severity of the situation finally caught up to him. Changing his demeanor instantly, Baekhyun bows to the trio sitting at the table. “My apologies there,” he adopts a formal tone that didn’t quite suit him while taking a seat. “I was only told that our targets were nobility. I never imagined it’d be the Royal family themselves.”_ _

__The King raises an eyebrow, “Your target?”_ _

__“Ah yes, I was with the group of thieves that broke in.” Baekhyun easily confesses. A servant walks in with a pot of tea, followed by another servant bringing in numerous snacks. “May I?” At Kyungsoo’s nod, Baekhyun reaches for a cookie. “I ended up being left behind though, clearly. You’d think they’d clean up their mistakes.” Baekhyun clicks his tongue. “Such poor planning.”_ _

__“Tell them what you told me.” Kyungsoo speaks up before his father can start questioning why someone who was with the thieves that stole a priceless treasure would be sitting with them. He didn’t want to explain that he just simply didn’t want to talk. Let Baekhyun tell the troublesome story._ _

__In between bites of the various delicacies, Baekhyun animatedly retells the story. Kyungsoo watches as the confusion on his parents’ face becomes replaced with a mix of curiosity and interest._ _

__“Why are you telling us this so...freely?” Queen Do asks the happily-eating criminal._ _

__“Well, I hold no loyalty for them,” Baekhyun shrugs, polishing off a sandwich. “I needed money to provide for my siblings and the pay was enticing. I didn’t realize _what_ it was they did until it was too late and, frankly, I’m hoping my help here will be… well paid so I can leave that behind for good.” Baekhyun responds, reaching for a sugary bread. _ _

__“So,” Kyungsoo brings the conversation back to the topic at hand, “Considering the situation is a bit too urgent to be leisurely eating like this, I’d like to propose a manhunt. We can use the information Baekhyun has so kindly provided to do so.”_ _

__The King shakes his head, cutting Kyungsoo off. “If they have the gem, even if we did have a manhunt you wouldn’t be able to get to them. The power it holds was used to craft this kingdom. How do you expect to go against it? Since, as this man says, they’re apparently targeting the other gems it’ll be impossible.”_ _

__“I mean,” Baekhyun says while slicing a chocolate cake, “They haven’t got it yet. You just got to get the others before they do.”_ _

__Silence falls at the table._ _

__“Steal the gems before the thieves?” The Queen repeats, pondering._ _

__“Absurd!” Kyungsoo responds, horrified._ _

__“Brilliant!” King Do says at the same time, excitement on his face._ _

__“What?” Baekhyun looks at the two, bewildered._ _

__“Now, now, don’t panic. I’m not saying to steal but, if you explain the situation I do not doubt our allies will happily lend you their gems.”_ _

__“Father, with all due respect, are you losing your mind?”_ _

__King Do chuckles heartily, “Not yet my boy.”_ _

__“These gems are important to the fabric of our world, you know that. The power of other gems could help get our own gem back. Match its power with them.” The Queen points out. “It’s not that bad an idea.”_ _

__Kyungsoo, already knowing where this was going, opens his mouth to protest._ _

__“The theft of one gem concerns them all. They should gladly lend their help. That is the point of the alliance anyways. To discourage us from using the gems against each other, safeguard them, and work together to ensure the safety of our nations with the gemstones.Go to them and borrow their gems.” The King commands._ _

__The prince massages his temple, saying the only thing he could to what was clearly an order. “Yes Father.” He gets up, turning to Baekhyun, “You get up. Tell Jongin whatever you need to get ready.”_ _

__“Me?” Baekhyun puts his spoon of pudding down, pointing to himself._ _

__“You did say you want to be paid well enough to leave them. You’ll get that pay.” Kyungsoo smiles, “After you help me on this task.”_ _

__“What.”_ _

__“We leave in an hour.”_ _

__“What?!”_ _

__“Byun Baekhyun, follow me.” Jongin emerges from the shadows where he had been watching and drags Baekhyun out of his chair. He bows at the King and Queen as he exits._ _

__“Mother. Father.” Kyungsoo bows at them respectfully before leaving the room._ _

__It didn’t take long for Kyungsoo to prepare. Throw some comfortable clothes on, grab his sword and shield, instruct some servants to pack a few provisions… Surprisingly, Baekhyun was also ready within the hour. Most of that time he spent looking at the numerous weapons he could choose from._ _

__“I’m surprised.” Kyungsoo exclaims upon seeing him. “I thought you’d go for something more… flashy.”_ _

__Baekhyun laughs. “I was very tempted to grab that sword-whip thing but I have no idea how to use it and no time to learn. As for this?” He holds up the simple bow. “I spent enough time using it back home.” Baekhyun pulls the bow string taut, testing it. “It’s not quite like the ones at home though so I don’t know how it works.”_ _

___Snap._ _ _

__The pair stare incredulously at the now broken bow._ _

__“Uh well… maybe a different one would be better.”_ _

__“Mmhmm.” Kyungsoo says impassively, taking the pieces from him. “Jongin, get him another… _stronger_...bow. We’ll leave afterwards.” _ _

__With a small laugh, Jongin nods and disappears._ _

__“So, while he does that. What’s the plan?” Baekhyun asks._ _

__“We get the gems. We get ours back. We return the gems.”_ _

__“And…?”_ _

__“That’s it.”_ _

__“How… descriptive.”_ _

__“This should be better,” Jongin interrupts the conversation, holding out a bow. Skeptically, Baekhyun cautiously pulls at the drawstring._ _

__“It passes!” he exclaims gleefully._ _

__“Thanks Jongin,” Kyungsoo nods at him. “Let’s get a move on.”_ _

__“But I still don’t know the plan!”_ _

__Kyungsoo sighs exasperatedly,_ _

__Time for the adventure of a lifetime._ _

__What a pain._ _


	2. Prince Kyungsoo and the Non-Existent Funding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any fellow academics/researchers here?

Baekhyun’s hands reach out, grasping onto a rock. With a grunt he forces himself up the cliffside. Panting, he perches himself over the edge, allowing himself to take a breath while swiping the dirt, grime, and sweat off his forehead. 

“Kyungsoooooooooo!” he yells out over the cliff.

In response a hand grabs onto the edge next to him, the young man hauling himself up. “Why are you yelling? I’m right behind you.” 

“Do we have any wa- Oh come on, not fair.” Baekhyun whines. 

“What?” The Prince asks, running a hand through his hair, his shirt tied around his waist so he could keep cool in the blistering heat. Rather than grimy, the dirt and dust added a sort of handsome ruggedness to the Prince. His sweat acts like a natural highlight making him glow in the light of the setting sun. 

“What spell are you using?”

“Spell? I can’t use magic?”

“It had to be a spell. No makeup is that resistant to the elements.” 

“I don’t use makeup.”

“Never?!” Baekhyun exclaims incredulously.

“I mean… for formal occasions I might use a bit?” 

“You bastard,” Baekhun grumbles, “You and your effortless beauty.”

“I don’t look any better than you do though,” Kyungsoo states, as if it’s a given. “You wanted water?” He holds out a pouch that somehow hasn’t been emptied throughout the trek up the mountain.

Baekhyun accepts it, downing its contents in one go. “Wait... did you want some?” 

Kyungsoo shakes his head, untying his shirt and slipping it back on. “We’re here anyways. I’ll ask the Grand Mage to restock our provisions.”

“We’re what?” Baekhyun turns around to look at Kyungsoo. “Oh...we’re here.” 

Towering behind Kyungsoo is, well, a tower. A menacing structure, formed solely of iron rises from the rocky surface. The spire extends far above, disappearing into the clouds. Kyungsoo lifts the door knocker, letting it fall thrice.

“Why does this look like a villain’s hideout?” Baekhyun asks, scrambling up behind him.

“The Mages don’t like visitors. They’re a distraction from research. Unless, you’re going to pay them for services. They’ll do anything for funding.” 

“Ahh,” Baekhyun frowns, clearly disappointed.

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo isn’t sure if he wants to know but he doesn’t want to travel with a disgruntled companion.

“If they’re looking for more money, they probably won’t have much of value”

“Were you going to _steal_ from the people we want to _help_ us?”

Baekhyun smiles sweetly.

“Don’t answer that.” Kyungsoo knocks on the door of the tower a bit more impatiently.

“Coming!” A voice yells from the top of the tower.

“How long do you think it’ll take for them to come down?”

“Flying doesn’t take very long.” A man no bigger than Kyungsoo’s hand descends from the sky above them, dainty wings poking through the silk, white shirt he was wearing. 

“If mages are so small why is your tower so big?” Baekhyun asks, tilting his head.

“I’m not _small_. I’m _Ajeuwohv_!”

Baekhyun stares at the man incredulously, “Ajeu-what?”

“Have you never seen a fairy before? Clearly not, I guess. Stupid question. This is a form we take for convenience. It also takes a lot less energy to fly when small. We can move faster too an-”

“You are quite far from your abode.” Kyungsoo interrupts, eager to speak to the Grand Mage and tick this place off their list.

“I have my reasons.” The man says coldly. “Now, state your business.”

“I’m Prince Do Kyungsoo. My companion here is Byun Baekhyun. We’re here to speak to the Gra-”

“Jongdae!” A clanging noise echoes throughout the mountain, scaring some birds that had perched themselves on the walls. Startled, they turn to see the metal doors flung open by a single mage, clad in black robes with flames arising behind him. 

Baekhyun jumps behind Kyungsoo, who has drawn his sword at the sudden appearance. “I thought they’re not villains!”

Contrarily, the fairy seems calm. Groaning, he flies up, rapping the wall three times. A burst of water erupts from the walls, dousing the flames and the mage. 

“Thanks!” The mage exclaims cheerfully. “I wasn’t sure how to trigger that! Oh, we have visitors? Nice to meet you! I’m-”

Wide-eyed the fairy quickly waves his hand over his body, transforming himself into a more human-sized shape and clamps his hand over the mage’s mouth. “One second please.” He smiles politely at Kyungsoo and Baekhyun before pulling the newcomer aside for a private conversation.

“Park Chanyeol,” he hisses. “What are you doing?”

“I didn’t _mean_ to start a fire! I didn’t know what to do and you wanted me to come down anyways!” 

“Yes I did, but I didn’t tell you to make a scene! Just come down. Be intimidating. Is that so hard?” 

“I mean, you did succeed with the intimidation thing,” Baekhyun says shakily, still gripping onto Kyungsoo’s shoulders. 

Jongade shrieks, jumping up with a hand on his chest. “Hey, this was a _private_ conversation.”

“Then speak quieter!” Baekhyun exclaims.

With a sigh, Kyungsoo sheaths his sword, gently removing Baekhyun’s hands. “We have a request.” The more time they wasted the worse their situation would become. To be fair, the fairy and the mage… Jongdae and Chanyeol, was it? They didn’t know. So, Kyungsoo chooses to give them the benefit of the doubt. 

“A request?” Chanyeol perks up, he slips a hand into his robe, pulling out a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and putting it on. “We would be happy to lend our assistance. How may we help you?” He smiles pleasantly.

“We need to speak to the Grand Mage.” Kyungsoo repeats his request again. 

Chanyeol frowns, “I’m afraid I do need to know the request beforehand. 

“The Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent Grand Mage only gets involved with requests of the highest regard… Though, I’d warn he does charge a steep price for even consulting him.” Jongdae adds.

Chanyeol not-so-subtly smacks Jongdae’s arm. “We’re trying to get money from them, Jongdae!”

“Maybe say that quieter next time.” Baekhyun advises. 

Chanyeol smiles awkwardly, sheepishly scratching his neck. “Anyways, we do need to know first before bothering the Grand Mage.”

Kyungsoo sighs. “The request is highly confidential.”

“Is there _nothing_ you can say?”

“The world is at stake.” 

“Okay the world- what?” Chanyeol exclaims. 

“The world is in danger. We need his help.” Kyungsoo says tiredly. Having already been physically exhausted from the trek here, he doesn’t need the mental exhaustion from this trip. “Listen, we’ll pay for bothering him if need be. We need to speak to him now.” 

“You’ll pay?” Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Jongdae exclaims gleefully. “We’ll take you to him now!” 

“If you’ll follow me,” Chanyeol walks along the iron wall, to where the metal wall meets the rock cliff face. He draws an insignia on the rock and an opening emerges, leading them into the mountain. “Currently we’re the only mages here-”

“That explains the incompetency,” Baekhyun mutters. 

“What?” 

“Nothing.” Baekhyun winks at Kyungsoo, who can’t help but smile at the little jab. 

“Anyways,” Jongdae continues where Chanyeol was interrupted, “So the mages have left the tower because they have something to deal with. The volcano in the mountain has become active and they’re trying to subdue it and all.”

“Jongdae!” Chanyeol smacks the fairy. 

Unfazed, Jongdae continues, “So we’ll have to head down to the mouth of the beast, figuratively speaking. And literally speaking. The Grand Mage is a beast. He scares me - ow!” 

Chanyeol had smacked him. Again. 

Rubbing his shoulder, Jongdae leads the trio into the tunnel. Once the four enter, the door behind them closes. The space is uncomfortably small, pushing them awkwardly close to each other. They stay standing in silence for a moment, the firelight flickering off their faces.

“Um… maybe I’ll just…” Sheepishly, Jongdae shrinks his body again. 

“Aww, tiny fairy.” Baekhyun teases.

“ _Ajeuwohv_ ,” Jongdae hisses. 

With more space to move around now, Chanyeol reaches behind Kyungsoo’s head, grabbing the torch. “Let’s go!”

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun trail behind the two who were familiar with the passage to the depths. Weaving deeper and deeper into the rock caverns, the two feel uncomfortable. They had to rely on the wits of the people in front of them. Besides, the darkness glinted with secrets that the mages hadn’t uncovered yet. Signs hung from the walls, warning against traversing the wrong way. Who knows what dangers were hidden in the rocky labyrinth. On edge, the two of them had their hands on their weapons, ready to draw them at a second if needed. 

Contrarily, Chanyeol and Jongdae casually continue their one-sided conversation.

“And don’t forget we need to transcribe those novels later. I actually am looking forward to some of them. You know, that one with that girl who had been reborn in another world with strange devices? The moving metal boxes and a multi-purpose metal slate? Such a strange concept.”

“That’s not a priority though-’ Chanyeol mentions.

“Well yes, the textbooks would be, but that would be fascinating to read right? Can you imagine if a world like that actually existed? A world without magic but such strange devices? Being able to talk to someone on the other side of the world without needing a strong mental link?” 

“It is cool- but Jongdae,”

“And the clothes! Did you see the cover art? Women wearing robes? Houses of brick rather than stone? Shoes tied with rope? I kinda want to create that. Do you think a mage would do so?”

“No one’s research aligns with that at the moment.” Chanyeol answers. “But, Jongdae”

“But someone should. It’s a shame. They’d make money off it too, I’d bet.”

“Jongdae shut up!” Chanyeol yells. With his raised voice, the flames on the torch rise a little higher.

“Excuse me gentlemen,” Baekhyun takes advantage of the break in conversation. “It’s been 30 minutes of you talking about this reincarnation to another world and stuff… are we-”

“As I’ve been trying to say, I think we’re lost.” 

“Well why didn’t you say that before!” Jongdae exclaims.

Kyungsoo groans, leaning against the wall around them. 

“I was trying!” Chanyeol exclaims distraught. 

“Try harder!”

“You never stop talking, how can I get a word in?” 

“Hey, are the flames of the torch supposed to be like three feet long?” Baekhyun asks.

“Speak up! Be louder! Make me shut up!”

“Then shut _up_ Jongdae!” Chanyeol yells, his face twisted with fury. Feeding off his fury, the flames from the torch burnt the wooden handle, wrapping itself around Chanyeol’s arms. 

“Hey Chanyeol...” Jongdae says slowly.

“Don’t you _‘hey Chanyeol_ ’ me! I know Grand Mage told you to get on my nerves so I better control them for _whatever_ reason, but there are some lines you do not cross!” As he yells, the flames wrap around his torso, spreading quickly along his robes, wrapping his whole body in flames. 

“Chanyeol, you’re on fire!” Jongdae shrieks. “Again!”

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo don’t know what to do. They can’t exactly get water. They can’t run in the caves, they’d get lost for sure. All they can do is stare in horror at the human torch in front of them. 

Gasping, Chanyeol backs up, looking at his hands that have become consumed by flames. With a burst of energy, he turns tail and runs down the corridor. 

“Chanyeol wait!” Jongdae hurriedly flits after him. Not wanting to be left alone, and also concerned for the young mage, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo follow suit. 

“Baekhun,” Kyungsoo says, pointing to a large log suspended in the ceiling ahead of the four of them. Baekhyun nods, shooting down the ropes in the hopes that the log forces Chanyeol to stop. 

Chanyeol, paying no attention to anything except his body that is literally on fire, runs straight through it.

The two stare dumbfoundedly at the burning log, now split in two. 

“He’ll have to stop once we hit a dead end.” Kyungsoo points out, as the two take off running.

Normally, Kyungsoo would be right. 

However, he is contending with a mage who is strangely strong, panicked from being set on fire, and desperately searching for a way to stop the fire. For this distressed mage, the concept of ‘Stop, drop and roll’ does not exist. He knows but one thing.

Run.

And so, Chanyeol runs straight through the walls enclosing him, leaving a Chanyeol-sized shape in the walls.

“You know, I’m not that surprised.” Baekhyun admits, jumping through a Chanyeol-sized hoop. 

“Thank goodness he’s bigger than both of us.” Kyungsoo adds, slipping through the holes with ease. 

“Chanyeol!” Jongdae’s voice echoes loudly down the tunnel.

“Oh what’s with all the racket,” a new voice booms through the tunnel, shocking Chanyeol into stopping in his tracks.

“Chany-ahh!” Jongdae screams, clutching his chest as a lanky boy materializes in the air in front of them. 

Sitting cross-legged, suspended by… nothing... the boy looks on with a mixture of amusement and resignation. With a snap, the flames are drawn from around Chanyeol to a necklace around the boy’s neck. “Park Chanyeol, you had one job.” The boy sighs, running a hand through multicolored hair. 

“Nice hair kid,” Baekhyun says approvingly. However, rather than the boy’s hair, his eyes are on the golden necklace around the boy’s neck. Laden with charms and trinkets that glow and glitter in a headache-inducing way. Some of them change color, others have a strange smoky quality about them. Some seem as if they have a heartbeat. It’s a necklace that carries a weight that seems much too large for this boy to bear.

“Eyes off. You don’t want to get possessed now do you.” 

Startled, Baekhyun wrenches his eyes away. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, continues to stare at it. 

“Did you not hear me? Eyes off!” the boy snaps. 

“...Grand Mage…?” Kyungsoo asks slowly. 

Instantly the boy brightens. Descending to the ground, the boy brushes nonexistent dust of the brilliant blue robes. “Grand Mage Oh Sehun, at your service.”

Kyungsoo looks at the young boy in confusion. _This_ is the Grand Mage? An actual _child_? “What happened to-”

“Oh she died,” Sehun says dismissively. “As the most experienced, most knowledgeable, most powerful mage, I took over.”

“Aren’t you like, 14?” 

“16,” Sehun responds coldly. “Anyways, since Chanyeol and his fairy friend can’t exactly keep their mouths shut, I’m sure you’re aware we’re trying to stop this volcano from erupting and, you know, killing thousands. But I’m sure your business is _much_ more serious than that right?” The boy smiles, clearly expecting an explanation.

“It is!” Chanyeol hastily starts trying to defend the group. “The-”

Sehun flicks his wrist and Chanyeol finds both of his hands clamped over his mouth. “I was asking them, not you.” 

“Mmph,” Chanyeol tries to speak but the strangled sound is indecipherable.

“It’s about the gemstones,” Kyungsoo speaks up. “The Earth stone was stolen.”

It took Sehun a second to process what Kyungsoo said. The moment he did he waves his hand in a circle and snaps. 

“What the-” Baekhyun looks around, disoriented. 

They were no longer in the rocky, sweltering, depths of a volcano, but a simplistic study room. 

“Are you _insane_?” Sehun hisses, his eyes glowing with anger. “You would think the Crown Prince would know better than to talk about such sensitive information _aloud_.”

“Apologies, but I wasn’t sure if you’d agree to move to a more private place if I had suggested that.” 

Sehun stares stonily at Kyungsoo. “Very well.” He knows he can’t refute that. “So now that we’re in a more… suitable place… would you care to explain how you let one of the Gems get _stolen_? Do you even know their importance?” 

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun nod.

“The whole treaty stuff right!” Baekhyun exclaims, eager to show Kyungsoo that he was listening while Kyungsoo was lecturing him the whole way here. 

“The...treaty stuff… yes…” Sehun says slowly, clearly unimpressed. “The stones are our peace treaty. This theft will bring war to us. Whether we rise against you, or help you retrieve yours.”

“We hope for the latter. So that the treaty may be preserved.”

“And when it gets stolen again, thanks to your...oversight?”

“No one had taken it from that vault for centuries,” Kyungsoo points out. “Now that it has, I assure you, we are in the process of upgrading our security. In fact, we would like to hire the Mages to assist us. The spells in our vault were first laid by your kind after all.”

“I will be charging for that. And for this consultation. Do you have the means to do so?”

“No need. We’re already helping you. After all, I suspect the Earth Stone is behind the volcano becoming active again. If you require more payment for assisting us protect the stone, bill the Do Royal Household. Though, I’d think the moral obligation of saving the world would be enough.” Kyungsoo bluffs. He had no jurisdiction over the treasury, though his parents should give it to him considering the number of things he does for them.

At his words, Sehun erupts into laughter “Ah, I like this one. So what, you’d like to have the power of the Mage’s gemstone in order to get back yours?” 

Kyungsoo nods.

“Hmm..” Sehun closes his eyes, deep in thought. “Unfortunately, a mage must remain in possession of this stone. I will not just pass it on to a human,” Sehun says firmly. “However, your warning will give us time to prepare. Payment will be as discussed…or...hmmm.” A mischievous look appears on Sehun’s face. “How would you like a discount?”

“A discount?” Kyungsoo tilts his head with interest.

“Well, more accurately, I’ll waive all fees.”

“But?”

“Take him with you.” He gestures towards Chanyeol. 

Kyungsoo blinks furiously at the young boy. “You want me to take… Chanyeol?”

“Wha- m- me?” Chanyeol exclaims incredulously.

“Oh don’t look so horrified.” Sehun grins, “Chanyeol already knows about this oh-so-confidential mission. He’ll be of some help After all, they could use some magic. Right, Chanyeol?”

“I-I mean…”

“They’re not going to say no. Right?” Sehun looks at the two with a smile, making it clear his offer was more so an order.

“Right…” Kyungsoo grumbles. The accidental pyromaniac would be joining them? Another kid to look after. Another hassle he didn’t want.

“The more the merrier!” Baekhyun says brightly. 

“I.. um... if you say so…” Chanyeol seems uncertain but accepts the forced offer. 

“Have fun and stay safe!” Jongdae says cheerily, relieved to have been removed from babysitting duty.

“Oh You don’t think I’ll let Chanyeol go alone, do you Jongdae?”

Jongdae’s face visibly pales. “B- b- but…”

“Come now, you know him best now Dae, don’t you! Besides,” Sehun smiles emptily, “You aren’t planning on backing out of your deal right?” 

Jongdae shakes his head hastily. 

“Excellent. It’s about time you head back anyways.”

“You’re going to the fairies?” the fairy questions with wide eyes.

Kyungsoo nods. “The Elves have one stone. The Fairies have another. Even if we don’t get them ourselves, we need to at least warn them so they protect it from th-.”

“Quick question,” Jongdae interrupts. “Can we, by any chance, go to the elves first?” 

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun turn to Jongdae, confusion written on their faces. 

Chanyeol gently places a hand on Jongdae’s shoulder, “Is this because of…?” 

Cheeks turning red, Jongdae hastily nods. 

“That should be fine then!” Chanyeol says emphatically, clearly wanting to be of help to his fairy guardian who had been forced to accompany them.

“Could we know why before we make any set decisions?” Baekhyun speaks up. 

“I uh… um…” Jongdae doesn’t quite know how to tell the story. “Well see, back home, there was a, uh, confession of sorts made and I ran from him in panic and I’d rather not go face him now.” His face turns redder at the admission.

Baekhyun places a hand on his heart, “You poor thing.” He nods sympathetically. “You need space don’t you, of course we can go to the elves first.”

Kyungsoo sighs. He was pretty sure the end of the world as they knew it is a significantly greater problem than an unanswered profession of love but hey, to each their own. Either way the Land of the Elves was a bit closer than the Fairy Kingdom anyways so why not. With a nod, he gives his consent as well. 

A smile brightens the fairy’s face. Now at ease, Jongdae turns to the young mage who had been watching the exchange with interest. 

“Decided on where to go?” Sehun asks, amused.

The group nods, ready to leave. 

“Great then, with that in mind,” Sehun removes one of the charms from around his neck. He loops a finger around the charm, creating a thin gold thread around it and tosses it to Chanyeol. “You’ll need that. Goodbye.” With a snap of his fingers the four vanish.


	3. Prince Kyungsoo and the Forest of Light

Kyungsoo barely has time to blink when he falls to the floor with a thud. A dull pain echoes throughout his body but before he can move, the other three fall on top of him. 

“Chanyeol, get off!” Jongdae shrieks. 

“I will when Baekhyun gets off of me!” 

“I am off you.”

Kyungsoo sighs. He did _not_ sign up for this. Mentally cursing his parents who had stuck this adventure on him, he simply waits for the bickering trio to realize that they’re all crushing him. He wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Kyungsoo-shaped mold in the dirt floor.

Eventually, they disentangle their limbs and start returning back to the topic at hand.

“Where are we?” 

Trees tower over them, extending so far that the tops couldn’t be seen. Their trunks are almost as large as some of the houses back in Nama. A few rays of sunlight sneak through the few gaps in the dense foliage. Overgrown grass surrounds them, tiny purple and blue flowers scattered haphazardly. Kyungsoo catches a glimpse of tiny pairs of eyes belonging to small woodland creatures who are watching them with curiosity.

“We’re in Yulin, The Forest of Light, home of the Elves.” Kyungsoo responds. If he had known Sehun was going to teleport them he would have pushed to go to the fairies first. 

Having got an answer to one question, Baekhyun asks the next question on his mind. “What did Sehun give you, Chanyeol?” 

Chanyeol shrugs, holding up the pendant and examining it more closely. Hanging from a delicate gold thread was a small red gemstone. Entranced by it, Chanyeol leans in closer, hypnotized by the sunlight streaming in through the gemstone. 

Nothing. 

Kyungsoo feels strange looking at the jewel that feels oddly familiar. The words of the Grand Mage Oh Sehun pop into his head.

_“A mage must remain in possession of the stone.”_

Oh no...

““Chanyeol put that down now,” he says firmly. 

“What?” Chanyeol looks away from the gem towards Kyungsoo. At the same time, the entire tree behind Kyungsoo spontaneously erupts in flames. 

“Chanyeol!” Jongdae shrieks, panicking.

“Jongdae, fly up and monitor the damage,” Kyungsoo orders. The fairy boy shrinks, wings emerging from his back as he flits up and over to the tree.

“It’s Ajumma!!” Baekhyun exclaims happily.

“ _Ajeuwohv!_ ” Jongdae’s voice seems louder even though his body got smaller. 

“Whatever.” Baekhyun mutters, rolling his eyes. 

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says sternly.

“Sorry… I’ll go help.” Baekhyun disappears through the underbrush before Kyungsoo could even tell him what to do. 

Knowing it was hopeless to try to track down Baekhyun, Kyungsoo turns to the last person remaining. “Ok, first things first. Strip.” He commands.

“What?” Chanyeol shrieks. The crackling of wood being burned increases in intensity as the fire starts spreading from tree to tree.

“Not fully. I need to confirm that you have an insignia on your chest now. If you do we can stop this.”

“And if I don’t?” 

“Strip.” 

Shaking, Chanyeol pulls apart the top half of his black robes. The sleeves slide down his arms, pulling the dense fabric with it and revealing a bird with wings of flame engraved over his heart.

Kyungsoo isn’t sure if he should be happy or upset that his suspicions were confirmed. “Chanyeol,” he says patiently, trying to talk the man through the situation. “Chanyeol, breathe.”

“I’m trying but I really hate fire okay and I’ve never set such a massive tree on fire and I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t think I’m capable of doing this but it must be me and-” 

“Listen, that stone? That’s the fire stone. You’ve connected with it. It’s chosen you. The insignia is proof of that.” 

“The insignia?”

“The flaming bird on your chest.”

“I’ve got a flaming bird on my chest?!” Chanyeol panics. With each rushed breath, the fire increases in intensity, spreading along the forest floor.

“Yes. You’re the guardian of the fire stone. It chose you.” Kyungsoo explains patiently.

“The fire stone?” Chanyeol shrieks, “This is the fire stone?!” 

With a roar, the fire flares, almost charing Jongdae’s wings. “Oi! We need you to stop it, not flare it up more!” Jongdae yells from up above. “It’s going to burn the forest down and how are we supposed to get on the Elves good side if you destroy their h-”

“Shut up!” Chanyeol yells back, the fire jumps over to another tree.

“Chanyeol, you need to calm down. Breathe. In and out.” Kyungsoo continues calmly, trying to regain control of the situation

“I’m trying!” Chanyeol continues hyperventilating, doing the exact opposite. “But the fire is so big-”

“Chanyeol.” 

“And I don’t know if I can even control it-”

“Chanyeol.” 

“And I’m don’t even know how to use this damn thing and-”

“Chaneyol!” Kyungsoo repeatedly calls Chanyeol’s name, drawing his attention to him. He puts one hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder, holding up a fist. “Smell the orange.” 

“What?” Chanyeol looks at Kyungsoo bewildered.

“Smell the damn orange Chanyeol.” 

Chanyeol slowly takes a breath in. 

“Okay now,” Kyungsoo unfurls his fist, holding up an index finger. “Blow out the flame.”

“Blow the flame? Are you kidding? That isn’t going to he-!”

“Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo cuts him off, glaring at him icily. 

Out of fear, Chanyeol obeys, quickly breathing out.

“Slowly Chanyeol!” Kyungsoo continues encouraging Chanyeol to slow his breaths down. 

Though it feels like 5 hours, it doesn’t take long for Chanyeol to gain some control of his breathing. Calmer, Chanyeol nods determined. “Okay I think I can do this.” He faces the inferno, the blazing fire reflecting in his trembling eyes. He glances back at Kyungsoo who nods encouragingly. Chanyeol takes a deep breath and holds his hands out. A torrent of water arises from the ground, drenching the trees that were on fire before disappearing. 

“Uh….” Chanyeol’s gaze flits back and forth between Kyungsoo and the trees. “I uh… Does the fire stone let me control water? Is that normal?” 

“Well, I was wondering who had the audacity to burn our forest down.” A young man with pale, glowing skin glides through the forest floor. The sunlight that slips through the now bare and broken branches reflect off the golden circlet encircling silver hair.. Behind him is another ethereal man with rosy cheeks and matching pale pink hair, a silver circlet set upon it. They stare at the two with curiosity.

Wide-eyed, Kyungsoo instantly lowers himself to one knee, crossing his right arm over his chest and lowering his head. Jongdae, who flitted down the moment the fire was put out, returns to human-size and does the same. Chanyeol glances at the two in confusion and then back at the two in front of them. Realizing they must be important people, he drops to his knees as well. 

“Come now, raise your heads.” At his words, Kyungsoo and the other two stand up. “Ah, Little Prince! I didn’t expect you here. To think you’ve grown so much that you engage in such interesting… activities.” 

Kyungsoo winces, well-aware of how this looks. A disheveled, half-naked mage. A Prince standing quite close to the mage, speaking in whispers. And that was before Jongdae flew down. “It’s not what you think,” he says simply, speaking as if his dignity was still undamaged.

The men laugh, the sound ringing in the air like windchimes. “And your troublesome companions?” 

Chanyeol opens his mouth to protest but Kyungsoo cuts him off before he can say anything stupid. “Chanyeol, Jongdae, this is His Imperial Highness, Guardian of Yulin, Warrior of the Stars, Kim-Zhang Yixing.” Kyungsoo gestures to the smiling silver-headed man before turning to the other. “By his side, His Imperial Highness, the Life of Yulin, Knight of the Sun, Kim-Zhang Junmyeon.”

“May the stars alight your nights,” Junmyeon says, smiling softly, extending a hand to the sky, fingers curling as if grasping a star, bringing it to his chest and then extending his hand out towards the group. Yixing follows suit. 

A loud sound draws the attention of the group. “I found water!” Baekhyun shrieks excitedly, running in with a bucket of water balanced on his head. Where did he even get a bucket from in the first place? 

Noticing the tree actually isn’t on fire anymore, Baekhyun skids to a stop. Kyungsoo can only watch in horror as he fails to control his speed and falls, splashing the Imperial Couple with water. To their credit, the pair still manage to look ethereal, even when drenched with river water.

Kyungsoo closes his eyes, bringing his hands to his face, sighing. He can feel the perpetual headache getting worse. 

“Oh my… I’m so sorry uh…” Panicked, Baekhyun glances around, only to make eye contact with Jongdae whose hands were encircling his head, trying to indicate a crown. “Uh… Your Crowne- uh- Royal Elf- Elves- Elvessess?” 

“Imperial Highnesses.” Kyungsoo says simply, the look in his eyes making it clear he was familiar with this sort of behavior. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Yixing says graciously. With a gentle wave of his hands he draws the water off himself and Junmyeon, flicking it onto the plants that surrounded them. 

“Whatever have you gotten yourself into Little Prince?” Junmyeon asks goodnaturedly.

“It’s… it’s a long story.” Kyungsoo says.

Yixing laughs, “If there’s one thing we have, it’s time. How about you join us for a meal and tell us all about it?” 

Kyungsoo nods. He’d be a fool for turning down the Elves' hospitality. Besides, Kyungsoo quite liked the elves and it’d be nice to have some... intelligent conversation. 

The Elves gesture for the group to follow them and start walking through the forest. The trees and plants seem to give way to the couple. Blue luminescent flowers bow as they walk past, demonstrating their reverence to the protectors of the forest. 

“So… Your Imperial Highnesses,” Baekhyun starts.

“Oh no need for that. A friend of the young prince is a friend of ours. Our names are fine.”

“Uh…” Baekhyun blanks, having missed the whole introduction. Jongdae hastily whispers their names into Baekhyun’s ear. “So, Junmyeon and Yixing. You guys are the, uh, Elf Emperors?”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Yixing smiles amused. 

“We adopted the term ‘Emperor’ for diplomacy sake. We’re more so Protectors of the Forest,” Junmyeon explains.

“You did miss that little introduction though,” Yixing laughs, remembering how the boy had splashed the two. 

Baekhyun’s face turns red and, much to Kyungsoo’s pleasure, he stays silent after that. The two elves, used to the silence, didn’t attempt to make any further conversation until they arrived.

“Welcome to Miere, Yulin’s main city.” 

White stone structures are scattered throughout the forest floor, built around and into the trees. Ivy creeps up the walls. Orbs of light, suspended by thin threads, cast a soft glow to the city that would otherwise forever be in darkness due to the dense foliage. Elves, clothed in similar light, airy, robes, glide gracefully around, offering polite smiles to the group.

Even though he had been here before, Kyungsoo always had his breath taken away by the air of the city. Everything felt new, fresh, natural. Walking along the marble streets itself rejuvenates one’s soul. 

“Wo-ah.” Baekhyun eyes the small white marble figures that an elf had on display outside their abode.

Just like that, the rejuvenating feeling disappeared.

“Yes, they will.” Kyungsoo says. 

“Huh?” Baekhyun looks at Kyungsoo confused.

“Yes, they’ll notice if you steal some of the marble. Mainly because you’ll trip, knock over a few plants, and draw attention to yourself before you manage to steal anything of worth.” 

“How did you… Are you reading my mind?” Baekhyun clamps his hands around his head as if that would stop any mind-reading. 

“I’ve been travelling with you. I’ve noticed some of your… habits, so to speak.” Kyungsoo responds simply. 

“So,” Baekhyun leans in, devilish smile on his face, “You have been paying attention to me,” he teases. 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. 

“What a beautiful city.” Jongdae exclaims. 

Yixing smiles happily, “It took a lot of work but, Junmyeon got it done.”

“I couldn’t have done it without your help,” Junmyeon says graciously. “That fountain was Yixing’s brainchild.” Junmyeon points out an elegant marble fountain. “A symbol of our treaty, with the goddess Yulin in the centre. That treaty is why you all can enter here so freely.”

Kyungsoo pauses, taking a close look at the fountain. Four people stood at the four corners, one for each race. The queen of humans, metallic shards slipping through her fingers. An elderly mage flames dancing at his fingertips. A fairy (who wasn’t in ‘Ajuwohv’’ as Jongdae pointed out). An elf, standing tall with a scar cutting across his shoulder down to his waist. Each statue had a gemstone in their chest, representing the very stones Kyungsoo was trying to find. In the centre stood a woman, emerging from a tree trunk, with four branches hovering over their heads, water pouring down and anointing the four races. He had to admit, the detail on the fountain was quite exquisite. All the people felt strangely alive...

“Kyungsoo!” A familiar, kind of annoying voice snaps Kyungsoo out of his reverie. 

“What?”

“Geez, pay attention,” Baekhyun scolds, taking Kyungsoo’s hand and dragging him behind him. “We made it all the way to a dining room and realized you weren’t there! I wanted to eat but no, you made me come back to drag you because you can’t pay attention.”

“You could have just eaten. I know where it is, I’ve been here before.” 

“Well I came didn’t I?” Baekhyun asks, tilting his head. “Besides, we can’t leave our leader behind.” Baekhyun smiles brightly at Kyungsoo. 

Maybe he isn’t so bad after all. 

“Hey, Kyungsoo.”

“Mmhmm?”

“Do you think that lady would notice if I swiped her bangle? It’d probably sell for a lot. Plus I bet she’s got more at home.” 

Never mind. He is as bad as Kyungsoo thought.

“Yes she would. Because you’d give yourself up. You’re not that good a thief you know.”

“Excuse you!”

“You’re in this situation because of that.”

“I..I..” Baekhyun sighs, “I mean you’re not wrong but I’ll have you know I am a better thief than you’d realize.”

“Sure,” Kyungsoo responds sarcastically as the two take their seats. 

The gang's all seated along one side, with the Elves seated across from them. Simple, yet beautifully plated dishes line the long table. Jongdae and Chanyeol’s eyes light up and they eagerly start selecting parts to eat.

Honestly, even Kyungsoo was looking forward to the meal. Rations eaten while in a hurry just didn’t taste the same. With smiles all around, the group relish Elven hospitality. A breeze brings the faint sound of flutes and harps to their ears and carries their pleasant conversation and soft laughs onwards through the forest. 

“So,” Chanyeol leans forward and props his chin on his hands, “How long have you two been together?” 

“Hmm,” Junmyeon tilts his head and scrunches his eyebrows. “It’ll be two and a half next week.”

“Two and a half years? Wow.” Jongdae smiles wistfully. “That’s a long time.”

“Oh no. Not two and a half years. Two and a half centuries.” 

“What.” Baekhyun looks between the two men who don’t look a day over 24 in disbelief.

“Love, he said together, not married.” Yixing laughs, ignoring the stupefied look on Baekhyun’s face. “We’ve been _together_ for 473 years.

Chanyeol almost spits out the drink he was sipping, violently coughing. Kyungsoo silently starts patting his back. Though it seemed like he was doing it out of goodwill, Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel that he was being hit a bit harder than necessary.” 

“How...sweet.” Jongdae sighs, frowning a bit. 

Junmyeon furrows his brows, “Is everything okay?”

“Ah don’t mind my friend here.” Baekhyun good-naturedly throws an arm over Jongdae’s shoulder. “His love life simply isn’t as smooth as the two of you.” 

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I spent - how many years was it Junmyeon?”

“137.” 

“I spent 137 long, tormenting years wooing him before he finally agreed to pursue a deeper relationship with me.” Yixing smiles softly at Jongdae, “Who’s your lucky one?” 

Jongdae turns red at the sudden shift to himself, “He, uh, well. He’s someone I’ve basically grown up with.”

“Ah, a childhood friend. How precious. Keep them close.”

Jongdae nods, a faint blush painting his cheeks. 

“However, enough of the small talk” The Emperor gestures for the elves who had been waiting on them to leave. “You didn’t make the journey here lightly.” Yixing says solemnly, turning to Kyungsoo with an unreadable expression. 

Kyungsoo sighs, gritting his teeth and spilling the story. He didn’t expect them to react favorably to his request. Unfortunately, he was right.

The breeze dies.Silence falls. A shadow crosses Yixing’s face. The light atmosphere changes in that second, becoming a dark pressure that wraps around the group, suffocating them. “You ask for much, Little Prince.”

“I’m aware.” Kyungsoo offers no further explanation. The Elves are much like the forest they reside in. Beautiful, yet deadly. He knew the archers, hidden in the trees, would have picked up on their rulers’ mood change and had pointed their arrows in their direction. 

Now is not the time to push his luck with the creatures who had the forest indebted to them.

Silence falls yet again as the two enchanting elves look at the group with dangerously glinting eyes. Kyungsoo cooly meets the elves’ gazes, taking mental note of how the entrances were now blocked by other elves that had been quietly listening in. He seems unaffected by the change. 

The others, on the other hand, are quite clearly affected. 

Jongdae glances furtively around, looking for an escape and ready to transform in a second. Chanyeol runs a hand over his arm, trying to dispel the goosebumps caused by the chills that run down his spine. 

“For the record,” Baekhyun speaks up, feeling uncomfortable with the silence, “We’re asking to borrow your gem. If you’d prefer, you could send someone with the gem with us to ensure it’s safety.”

“Naturally we’ll return it after too!” Chanyeol quickly adds. 

“And-”

Yixing holds up a hand, silencing them. “That’s what everyone who seeks after the gems claims. Do you know how many have, in history, come through on it? Are you aware of how many wars have been fought because someone was trusted on a whim.”

Junmyeon puts a hand on Yixing’s shoulders, “Love don’t be too harsh. They live short lives.” Junmyeon turns to them, all kindness drained from his eyes, replaced with stone-cold emptiness. “They weren’t there when the treaty was first created. They weren’t there when we slayed a god to protect our own. They have long since forgotten, even though we haven’t.” 

Kyungsoo stays silent. He can’t retort to that. It’s true. ‘They’ll happily lend us their gems, right Father?’ 

“We haven’t forgotten.” Chanyeol speaks up. 

“You’re right we weren’t there but, that doesn’t mean it is forgotten. We learn of it.” Chanyeol raises his head to meet their eyes. “The world was drowned and burned at the same time. Choked and buried. The scars of that war formed the landscape we have now, from the mountains to the sea. The dead rose and people fought against friends whom they believed to have been long gone, forced to mourn for their second death.” 

Jongdae looks at Chanyeol, eyes wide with a smile on his face, “You actually remember what Master Sehun taught you!”

Kyungsoo sharply elbows Jongdae. “Be proud later,” he quietly whispers.

“That’s right.” Yixing nods. He pulls down the sleeve of his robe, revealing a long gash that started from his shoulder and down to his chest. The other half of it remains hidden by the rest of his clothes. A scar that matches the one on the statue “We carry the scars from battles fought long ago because of those who craved absolute power.” 

“Yulin Forest carries scars from fires that she hasn’t quite recovered from yet because of the greed for those gemstones.” Junmyeon reaches over and pulls up Yixing’s sleeve, hiding the scar once more.

“We don’t want it for our own sake though!” Jongdae points out. “It’s for-”

“Do you know how many others have said that? How many others have come proclaiming noble causes with flames of justice in their eyes, only to become clouded by greed and drunk off power?” Junmyeon demands. “You used the one gem you have to burn our Forest today. How can you guarantee that you won’t turn out the same as them?”

Chanyeol winces at Junmyeon’s words, looking down burdened with guilt. 

No one knows how to respond.

“Well, we can’t.” Baekhyun speaks up. 

Kyungsoo glances at him with wide eyes, telling him to shut up. 

“We can’t guarantee that we won’t turn out like that. But, we can guarantee that the people who took Kyungsoo’s gem are already like that. That one is not enough. They are coming for your gem too.”

“Our gem is safe.” Yixing hisses, enraged at the suggestion. Kyungsoo closes his eyes, frantically trying to think up a way to stop Baekhyun from being on the receiving end of the Elves’ anger.

“Yeah, I don’t doubt that. It is safe... until you take it out to use so you can fight against them.”

“For petty thieves?” Yixing scoffs.

“Petty thieves armed with the Earth stone.” Baekhyun points out. “When they come with the gem to bury the forest alive you will take your gem out of your hiding place to use against them and that, Your Highnesses, that is when they’ll steal it.” 

The group falls silent. 

“Or at least, that’s what I think they’d do. From what I know from working with them.” Baekhyun hurriedly adds. “Ah I’m not a thief though,” he says hurriedly. “Just a stableboy who worked for the wrong people at the wrong time is all.”

“You make an interesting point Little One.” Junmyeon contemplates, his gaze piercing through Baekhyun’s soul. “However, it’s not our decision to make.” 

“What we do decide is whether or not you get to speak with the one who does own the gem.”

“B-but...isn’t it your gem?” Jongdae asks, confused. 

“It might be our gem on paper but the gem belongs to Yulin.” Yixing pauses for a second before making his decision. “You will have to ask her.” 

“Then we will,” Kyungsoo says simply, breathing a sigh of relief. He had wanted to strangle Baekhyun for talking but, miraculously, it seems like this time his words turned the tides in their favor. 

“Wait. Wait wait wait wait.” Chanyeol grabs the three and pulls them aside. “Team huddle okay. Are we sure this is wise?”

“Chanyeol, if they say we need to talk to the Forest, then we need to speak with the Forest!” Baekhyun exclaims.

“Yes but, I mean I,” Chanyeol lowers his voice to a whisper, “I almost burned part of her down! They were the ones saying she’s still scarred from past wars and stuff! I don’t think she’ll be too favourable on us.”

“Well, she won’t be favourable on you. We all helped put the fire out” Jongdae points out. “You don’t think she’ll ask for Chanyeol as payment right? To make up for the fire? He probably deserves it but Chanyeol also has the most control over the fire gem so we wouldn’t be able to give him so easily.”

“Are you suggesting I become a sacrifice?” 

“Well you might have to.”

“Can we stop being rude?” At Kyungsoo’s blunt words the rest realize that they just left the now gracious, terrifying Emperors in the middle of their conversation. “By the way,” Kyungsoo adds, “They could hear that whole conversation so there’s no point in dragging us here.”

“He’s right,” Junmyeon calls sweetly from behind the group. His eyes reflect none of his joviality. “So, your answer?” 

“We will.” Kyungsoo repeats, once again. He isn’t going to waste the opportunity Baekhyun had bought them. In fact, he owed Baekhyun an apology as well, for doubting him.

“Follow us.” Yixing says, standing up. With their decision made, the atmosphere returned to what it was. The room got brighter and faint music started to drift back in, as if the forest had made its decision as well. 

The group follow the elves to the outskirts of town, down a winding dirt path that led deeper into the forest.

“I still don’t think it’s wise…” Chanyeol mutters, looking cautiously at the plants that seem to get larger the deeper they go.

“Kyungsoo’s the only one with an actual brain - I’d trust him over you any day.” Jongdae retorts, pushing aside a strange red flower about the size of his head. The needle-like petals cut into his palm. “Ouch!” he yelps, looking at the small droplets of blood pooling from the thin cut.

“Don’t touch anything,” Kyungsoo speaks up, ducking under the flower. “The deeper we go, the more dangerous it becomes.”

“You couldn’t have said that earlier?” Jongdae grumbles. 

Baekhyun passes him a strip of cloth to tie around the cuts on his hand before running up to Kyungsoo. “You seem calm considering the so-called dangerous situation.” Baekhyun grins, playfully jabbing Kyungsoo’s side. 

“Panic doesn’t help.” Kyungsoo glances at Baekhyun. “That does not mean I’m not wary.”  
Baekhyun blinks his eyes in confusion. “Well yeah but we have the Elf Emperors here, what is there to fear?” 

“They’re not the ones in charge, Baekhyun. Like they said. They’re the Protectors of the Forest. The one in charge is none other than the Forest herself. Just look behind us.” 

Baekhyun turns around. His eyes widen as he stares at the densely packed foliage, bright flowers all turned to face him. There is no sign of the path they used to get this far

“The plants aren’t moving as Their Highnesses approach,” Kyungsoo explains. “They’re showing where to go… and then closing it behind us so we can’t leave. If they want to separate us they will. If the Forest decides we are her enemy, they will abandon us. Their Highnesses will do nothing against them and there’s nothing we can do against her.”

Baekhyun falls silent, a chill running down his spine. Kyungsoo’s words echo in his mind as he looks around, noticing things he failed to see before. Vines hanging from the trees reach out, curiously brushing over Chanyeol’s hair. Entrancingly beautiful flowers turn their heads, looking towards the hastily tied bandage around Jongdae’s palm as if they sensed his blood. In the treetops, glowing eyes belonging to unseen creatures silently tail the group. Critters scrambled around their feet, hastily making way for them. The trees here grow so tall and are so dense, it’s impossible to see the sky through the foliage. Luckily, or unluckily, the plants would glow as they approached, lighting the path for them.

“How much longer do you think we have to go?” Jongdae asks, “Not that I’m in a rush to get out of here or anything. I’m just...” He pulls his hand away from a vine that had wrapped itself around the bandages on his palm. “I’m just curious. The forest is deeper than I thought too so I’m not sure how far. I guess we’d be going to the ‘heart’ of the forest but do we have time for that? Yulin Forest is bigger than it looks and it’d probably be good to not spend so many days here? We are on a time crunch ri-” 

“Hey, Jongdae?” Baekhyun interrupts

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.” 

“I’m just asking! It’s good info - ah!” Jongdae, distracted by the sound of his own voice, walks right into Kyungsoo, who gives Jongdae a withering look.

Apologizing profusely, Jongdae backs up looking around. The path behind them closes off, leaving the group standing in the perfectly circular clearing. Stones line the border with strangely shaped purple mushrooms growing alongside them. The faint light that had lit their path had faded to become darkness. The only light comes from the large bioluminescent flowers that climb up the thick tree trunks. Mist weaves through the surroundings, forming a dense fog that blocks the view ahead. 

“We stop here,” Junmyeon says. 

“You’ll get your answer from her further along,” Yixing gestures ahead towards the thick fog.

“We have to go through… there?” Chanyeol asks with wide eyes. 

“The centre of the forest is where her presence is felt the strongest. Prove your worth to her and she’ll give you your answer.”

“Prove our worth? No one told me we’d be tested,” Jongdae exclaims.

“Is now a good time to mention that I had to repeat middle school three years in a row because I failed phys-ed?” Baekhyun asks.

“How did you fail phys-ed?” Jongdae asks incredulously. 

“I’m actually not that surprised,” Kyungsoo responds with a shrug. “You did trip over a rock and knock yourself out, leading to you being caught by our guards,”

Baekhyun puts a hand on his heart, “Ouch.”

“You what?!” Chanyeol exclaims.

“I don’t know how you ever passed phys-ed to continue your schooling,” Kyungsoo continues.

“I mean….” Baekhyun smiles sheepishly, “They kinda gave up on me and just let me continue without it…” 

“How did you ever get into the RF in the first place? If you’re that much of a klutz.” Jongdae asks, confused. 

“It’s all thanks to my woman, Lady Luck.” 

“Well, hopefully you’re still on her good side. We’re going to need her.” Kyungsoo says with a rare, wry smile. He nods at the elves who had been waiting patiently before delving into the mist. 

“Did… did Kyungsoo just… did he just… smile? Am I dreaming?” Baekhyun asks with wide eyes. 

“I think he did…” Chanyeol says slowly. 

“A miracle has happened today,” Jongdae says staring straight into the mist, “And I’m going to need another one to get through this.” 

“We all will…” Chanyeol says. Mustering all their courage, the pair follow after Kyungsoo. 

“That’s unfair. I wasn’t prepared for that.” Baekhyun mutters to himself, still hung up on Kyungsoo’s sudden smile. Realizing that the others had already gone, Baekhyun runs into the fog, “Wait for me!” 

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Junmyeon asks, the tension of the past few moments melting away. Though he had only just met the group with their incredulous demands, he couldn’t help but feel worried. Yulin could be ruthless if she wanted to.

“I suspect that each one of them is more than they seem. She’ll reveal that.” Yixing says with a soft smile. “Shall we go await their return?” 

“Let’s go,” Junmyeon takes a hold of Yixing’s outstretched arm with a smile. The pair follow the plants, who had opened their pathways for them once again.


	4. Prince Kyungsoo and the Master Chef Kitchen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK! I'm going to be honest. This chapter? hell to write. Writer's block + pandemic + work + school = not a fun time. but hey. my sister and i were playing overcooked 2 and inspiration struck. best game. 10/10 would recommend. listening to the soundtrack during the trials really sets the scene but optional, obvs.

“What the f-” 

A dramatic swell of organs fills the stone chambers they find themselves in. Eerily glowing green rivers surround the open courtyard. A ghostly wind ruffles Kyungsoo’s hair as timpanis pound out a marching beat. 

“Is this a _kitchen_?” Baekhyun questions incredulously. 

Stoves with pots for cooking rice, wooden crates filled with a variety of ingredients,a row of plates, and a sink next to a stone archway that leads nowhere surround Kyungsoo. trapping him in a lovely little box. Baekhyun seems trapped as well - though Kyungsoo can’t quite see what he’s got. The other two are nowhere to be seen. 

Kyungsoo sighs, massaging his temple. Cooking? As a trial? Insanity. That makes no sense. 

A soft ‘ding’ of a bell rings, drawing Kyungsoo’s attention to a screen that lights up. 

“A burrito?” He stares at the strange dish before him. A flat piece of bread, wrapped around rice and some other filling. Seems simple enough. He could probably get started on that. 

He grabs a couple of handfuls of rice and throws them into the pots. What can he do while he waits… Ah! Put the flat breads on a plate right? But… where are the...

“I’ve got the tortillas!” Baekhyun yells over, noticing Kyungsoo’s predicament. 

“Tortillas?”

“The flatbread things. The crate says ‘tortillas’. “I’ve also got the meats but I don’t have mushrooms.”

“I’ve got mushrooms.”

“Oh! So we gotta work together then. That’s a relief.” Baekhyun smiles. 

“But how. We’re both trapped. If I can take apart the crates we could get materials to use,” Kyungsoo muses. “Maybe a lever? Or a pulley system? It shouldn’t be too hard to-” 

Something hits the side of his face. _Hard_. Or more accurately, according to what Kyungsoo can tell from the flat texture of this weird, floppy thing on his face, a _tortilla_ is now slapped against his face.

He looks up slowly, and meets Baekhyun’s eyes from across the platform. 

Did he just. No. He didn’t. 

Yet the feeling of dry, floppy, bread sliding down his cheek is very real. Kyungsoo slowly glances at Baekhyun, half ready to kill the man if he could just get over there somehow. 

“What?” Baekhyun shrugs, pointing to the lower left of the order screen. “We’re timed.”

Without a word, Kyungsoo places the tortilla on a plate. Picking up a handful of mushrooms and whipping it at Baekhyun. 

Prepared for it, Baekhyun catches it. “Nice throw!” He looks over at Kyungsoo just in time for a second handful of mushrooms to smack him. 

“What?” Kyungsoo responds, pointing at the order screen. “We have two mushroom dishes.” 

“Touché.”

“4 minutes, 30 seconds. Let’s do this.” Baekhyun grins, chopping up the mushrooms to throw back to Kyungsoo. 

It doesn’t take long for the pair to settle into a groove. At least, if yelling what they need and hurling it back and forth could count as a ‘groove’. Were there a few mishaps? The rice in Baekhyun's hair and the tortilla flour that covered Kyungsoo’s clothes are enough to answer that. 

A brilliant, blinding blue light fills the room as the music shifts. A chorus of ahhs and oohs from heavenly voices mix with a strangely magical overture. The pair find themselves staring at eerily, enticing, blue swirls that fill the previously empty stone archway. 

“Huh?” 

Before Kyungsoo could say anything, Baekhyun boldly sticks his hand through it.

“Baekhyun are you cra-” Kyungsoo’s words stop as Baekhyun’s hand materializes through the archway in front of him. 

“Is this real?” Kyungsoo reaches out and pulls Baekhyun’s hand. 

“Kyungsoo-yah!” Baekhyun screeches, tumbling into Kyungsoo’s box. 

“It’s a way to travel! I can deliver the dishes!” Kyungsoo pulls Baekhyun up off the floor, a sigh of relief slipping through his upturned lips. There would be no plate throwing (at least, not today). 

“Guess we don’t need to throw things anymore either.” Baekhyun grabs the third dish, snagging a couple mushrooms while he’s at it. 

The two head over to Baekhyun’s box, submitting the dishes. 

“What do you think the others are doing?” Kyungsoo asks, grabbing a stack of tortillas for the new orders propping up on the screen.

“Probably something similar? I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

\-------------------------------

“This is fine.” Jongdae whispers to himself. “This is fine. This is fine. This is totally fine. I’m 110% okay.” Flames leap around Jongdae, trapping him against a magical mixer. 

“I’m here!” Chanyeol runs over with a long tube. Water gushes out of it, putting out the flames and soaking Jongdae. By some miracle, Jongdae’s cake batter is fine. Probably whatever magic that let the mixers work automatically and let cakes miraculously assemble in ways they probably couldn't in real life. 

Though to be fair, even if cakes were made like this Jongdae wouldn't know. He's not a baker. 

Jongdae hurriedly pours the batter into a pan, running to the otherside of their kitchen to put it in the oven. 

“What should I do?” Chanyeol asks. 

“Not set fires!” Jongdae exclaims.

“I didn’t do it! They’re from that!” Chanyeol points at the tall torches, just in time to watch the flames leap in a perfect arc, blocking the path to the stove.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Jongdae screeches, watching in horror as the stove starts beeping. Smoke starts to rise as he looks frantically for the hose. 

“Ah I put it over here!” Chanyeol runs to grab it, eager to help. 

His eagerness only makes the flames stronger. 

“Chanyeol!” Jongdae shrieks. 

Panicked and hurried, Chanyeol fumbles a split second too long before turning the hose on again. 

Fire put out, Jongdae hurriedly grabs his cake. Yet to no avail, his precious honey, carrot cake is now burnt to a crisp. A loud buzzer noise rings throughout the area, startling Chanyeol and sending off more flames into the surrounding area. 

“Damnit.” Jongdae throws the cake, watching as another order fails. 

“Chanyeol, do your orders!” He scolds the young mage, quickly cutting up more honey for the next cake. 

“I’m too busy with the fires!” Chanyeol grabs the hose, running back to the mixers to put them out. 

A twinge of pity stung his heart, the poor boy was sweating and out-of-breath from running back and forth in this literal hell. Yet, Jongdae had to admit it was why they had done… not well, given the 10 failed orders but, decently? 

A blinding flash of blue light fills their room. “What _now_?” Jongdae groans. 

“So after we deliver this, I’ll-” Kyungsoo stops speaking, stunned to silence. The four of them stare at each other. The silence filled with the light-hearted music that accompanied them, the roars of flames spreading rapidly across the room, and a stove beeping from another burnt cake. 

Baekhyun drops the plate he was holding. By whatever miracle it didn’t shatter, leaving the food intact. Yet the sound it made still echoed. 

“Shit!” Jongdae shrieks, snapping out of his reverie and running to the stove. “It’s ruined.” 

“What the _hell_ have you been doing.” 

Chanyeol smiles but it doesn’t quite reach his tired eyes. “Our best.”

**4 minutes left.**

“Let’s get to work.” How Jongdae and Chanyeol managed to almost burn the place down within 1 minutes astounds him but Kyungsoo doesn’t have the time to question it. Glancing up at the screen he sees that their orders have transferred over, so the pair quickly submit their dishes before getting to work. 

“I’ll chop the honey, chocolate, and carrots.” Baekhyun slides over and takes the knife from Jongdae’s hand. 

“Wait what. Don’t you have your own dishes?”

“Well, Kyungsoo and I had burritos but you guys don’t have that stuff.” 

“No, your own orders?” 

Baekhyun stares at Jongdae incredulously, “Were you doing everything solo?” 

“We can work together?!” Jongdae exclaims shrilly, the pain evident in his voice. 

Kyungsoo wordlessly pats Jongdae’s back to console him. “Baekhyun, start the honey chocolate and the plain honey cake. I’ll do the dishes so we can plate them and I’ll deliver too. Jongdae, can you mix the things and put them in the oven?” 

Jongdae nods. For once, the talkative fairy seemed to be at a loss for words. The one minute he spent struggling on his own spent more like 10 years, and the realization that his solo struggle was all a lie was too much for him to handle.

“Chanyeol, can you deliver the ingredients and keep an eye on the fires? I’m counting on you to keep it in control so we can finish these,” Baekhyun gently asks Chaneyol.

Chanyeol nods, “Leave it to me!” 

Kyungsoo zooms around, helping Chanyeol out to get them started before settling into the role he had given himself. The four start churning out orders as fast as possible.

“When all this is over, we should cook all these as a celebration,” Baekhyun says.

“When all this is over, I never want to see a kitchen ever again.” Jongdae retorts, snagging the prepped ingredients to throw in the mixture. 

“I mean hey, at least you didn’t need to throw the ingredients around. Imagine if we had to throw honey at each other, Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun yells over. 

Kyungsoo chuckles, dropping off a set of clean plates for assembly.

 **2 minutes left**  


The music starts picking up in pace. 

“Oh no.” The four stop what they’re doing and look at each other in horror. Their surroundings swirl around as the walls and floor drop beneath their feet. Kyungsoo’s heart drops as well, descending into the spiral abyss that seemed to descend endlessly. 

Jongdae instinctively shrinks into his fairy mode, flying above the gaping hole beneath them. 

Both Chanyeol and Baekhyun start shrieking while Kyungsoo closes his eyes to say a prayer as they fall…. Fall…

Wait a second.

“We’re not falling.” Kyungsoo murmurs to himself. He cautiously puts a foot out and is shocked to find himself still standing. “We’re not falling!” he yells, running over to the stove where a cake had started to burn. 

“What?!” Baekhyun’ watches wide-eyed as Kyungsoo runs around on air. “Then we’re wasting time!” 

He turns to pick up the knife, only to find the counter floating away from him. “Really?!” Baekhyun groans incredulously, running after it. 

“Baekhyun watch out for-”

The counter with all the mixers comes in from the other side, slamming right into Baekhyun.  
“Never mind,” Chanyeol mutters, running over to help him up. 

**30 seconds remain**

“Jongdae, get out of ;Aju-woaaahh mode"

“For the _last_ time.” Jongdae hisses, flying over to the mixers before returning to human form. “It’s Aju _wohv_ ”

“Same difference,” Baekhyun says dismissively. 

“Four dishes. 2 honey cakes, 1 honey chocolate, 1 honey carrot.” Kyungsoo yells out, helping Baekhyun chop up honey as fast as possible. 

“I’m trapped! I can’t get to the stove!” Chanyeol yells, having got himself caught between the sink and the mixers which had flown in as if targeting him. 

“I got it!” Jongdae ran over to get the two orders in the oven. 

The sink moves to trap Jongdae, allowing Chanyeol to run over and grab the dish, circumventing the sink. 

“Touchdown!” he shrieks triumphantly as he evades the counters trying to tackle him to deliver it.

“What in the world is a _touchdown_?” Baekhyun asks.

Chanyeol shrugs, “I don’t know. Seems appropriate.” 

The final buzzer goes off, cutting off the conversation. The music slowly dies, yet the room stays as it is. 

“Well then. What no-ahhhh!” Chanyeol yells as the floor beneath them gives way, _actually_ sending them down the spiral this time.

Kyungsoo lands first, faceplanting in the soft grass. ‘ _’Oh no’_. He knows exactly what’s going to happen.

Sure enough, both Baekhyun and Chanyeol land right on him. Jongdae was smart enough to turn into a fairy this time so there was one less weight on him. 

Wearily the three get up, dusting themselves off as they take in their surroundings. 

Fields of grass as tall as their waist extend out as far as their eye can see. The sound of birds that they can’t see echo through the haunting melody the breeze brings with it. The wind wraps itself around them, playing with their hair and gently spinning them around. 

One thing stood out in the field. A hill from which a single, massive, weeping willow emerges. 

“We go there.” Kyungsoo starts walking, the rest following behind. 

It feels as if the last 5 minutes of chaos never occurred. A strange sense of peace fills their souls with warmth. 

“Welcome.” A gentle voice says as they approach the weeping willow. A woman stands their, her dress merging with the fill as she walks, flowers wrap around her, weaving through her knotted hair. Arms of branches and hair of vines of leaves frame the face that seems both human and… not.

This time, all four of them instantly drop to their knees, paying their respect to the Goddess before them.

“We greet you, Yulin, Goddess of the Forest.”

“Oh get up you fools.”

“Wha-” Shocked by the way she spoke, Baekhyun raises his head abruptly, staring at the Goddess before them. 

The brown-skinned woman laughed, “What? Did you think I actually went around like that?” Gone were the hair of vines, replaced with thick, black, braided hair. Gold adorned her neck, matching her lips. Her eyes contained the entirety of the sky and all its stars, trapping the unsuspecting observer in her gaze forever.

“But then why?”

“Hey, I sit around here for eons. Obviously I’m going to take advantage of the few visitors I get. Thank you, for the entertainment.”

“The...the...the entertainment?!” Jongdae shrieks, standing up. “That whole cooking _mess_. The flames. The moving counters. The traps. All of that was _entertainment_?!” 

The goddess laughs, windchimes ringing through the air. “Well, not only that. It was a way of testing your cooperation and,” she turns to Chanyeol, her gaze turning coldly, “A way of teaching a lesson to he who tried to burn down my lifeblood.” 

Chanyeol cowers, looking down and unable to make an excuse.

The Goddess takes his hands. “Confidence. That’s all you need, child,” she says gently.

“So um,” Baekhyun speaks up. “Did we pass?” 

“Well,” Yulin grins mischievously. “You passed before the trial itself.” 

“So we _did_ do it for no reason!” Jongdae exclaims exasperatedly. 

“No no no! I had a lot of fun watching you,” Yulin says shamelessly. “I actually went quite easy on you, given that you are here for the only remnant of my beloved.”

“Your beloved?” Jongdae asks softly. 

Yulin smiles softly, “Well, why else would the Goddess of the Forest have the gem of water? Why would the Deity of Water hold the gem of the Earth?”

Kyungsoo’s heart feels heavy as guilt overwhelms him. The gem of the Earth. The one he was entrusted to keep. The one he had lost. 

“Don’t look so down Little Prince. It is because I want it back with the people They wanted to protect that I am helping you. Losing it might have been your mistake. Taking it back will be your achievement.” 

“So… you _are,_ helping us?” A genuine smile creeps on Baekhyun’s face, as if the chaos he had gone through had finally been rewards. 

“Yes I am,” Yulin repeats goodnaturedly. She sweeps her hand in front of them, gathering the wind with her. “So, go. Reclaim what was gifted to you. Oh, and say hi to those two lovebirds for me! And ask them to visit me sometime, it gets lonely.” She waves at the group as the wind picks them up.

The goddess fades from view, replaced by the familiar sights of Miere.

“Congratulations.” Emperor Junmyeon approaches the group, arm in arm with his husband. “We’ve been awaiting you.” 

“Wait but,” Baekhyun looks at the group, sheer panic on his face, “She never gave the gem! We need to go back we-” 

“Junmyeon and I have it.” Yixing interrupts.

“This _whole time_?!” Jongdae screeches. “Listen up buds, I know Kyungsoo is already giving me the evil eye for yelling at you but-”

“No. Yell all you want.” Kyungsoo looks at the elves as if betrayed. 

“Then I’m definitely not letting you off the hook!” Jongdae angrily yell. “Do you know the sheer chaos we went through? The panic? The cooking I had never done?”

“Also what the hell is a burrito?” Baekhyun interrupted.

“And that! What even is a burrito? Where does she come up with this? We went through the worst trials ever and you could have just had us do a _normal_ trial you dictate and-”

“Jongdae, it isn’t ours to give. And trust us when we say, we understand your pain.” Junmyeon’s eyes shift out of focus, as if remembering a traumatic experience. 

“Anyways, as she decreed, it is yours” Yixing looks at Jongdae, his steely gaze freezing Jongdae in place. “It must stay with you at all times, understand?”

“Wait...me?” Jongdae looks around incredulously. “But...why?”

“Her ways are mysterious…” Yixing says slowly before adding mischievously, “She also has a soft spot for people in tricky love situations. She sees herself in them.”

Jongdae blushes, unable to comment.

“Woah,” Baekhyun teases, “Jongdae is _speechless_! Can you believe it?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, “It’s strange not hearing his voice.”

“Kyungsoo!” Jongdae exclaims, feeling betrayed. 

“Ahem,” Junmyeon clears his throat to bring the group back on topic. He approaches Jongdae, slipping a delicate silver ring with a vivid blue jewel off his ring finger. “Now, I do want it back,” Junmyeon mentions, taking Jongdae’s hand and sliding the ring onto one of his fingers. “It is my engagement ring after all.” 

Jongdae raises his right hand, looking at the hypnotizing stone, before glancing back up at the two elves. “Are you… are you sure?”

“Are we sure?” Yixing laughs, “By the Goddess no. We do not trust any one of you. However, we do trust her. If she trusts you, then we will oblige.”

“Then…” Jongdae clenches his hand, now adorned with a ring, into a fist. “I’ll make sure to use this right. So you know that you did not make the wrong decision today.” A newfound determination and confidence fills his eyes. 

“Is that so?” Yixing smiles, amused. “Well, I hope you do so.

“Well, good thing you’re so determined. Especially since now we need to go to the fairies and face the love of your life whom you haven’t seen since you ran away after confessing and all that..” Baekhyun says, good-naturedly. 

“...Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


End file.
